NS renames Lancaster, Pa. rail yard in honor of former NS vice president and state senator H. Craig Lewis

Norfolk Southern renamed its Dillerville Yard in Lancaster, Pa., in honor of H. Craig Lewis. After serving as state senator for the 6th District in Bucks County for five terms (1975-1994), Lewis joined NS as vice president corporate affairs in 1997, retiring from the railroad in 2009. He died unexpectedly earlier this year.

"Because of his experience and respect from both sides of the aisle in Harrisburg, Craig was a key part of our integration of Conrail's assets in Pennsylvania in the late 1990s," said Norfolk Southern CEO Wick Moorman. "He later led our passenger and transit policy team and managed many complex projects, including the sale of Conrail's Boonton Line to New Jersey Transit and the NS phase of the Lancaster Northwest Gateway Project. Craig brought energy, creativity and humor to every initiative and was able to bring diverse perspectives together in a collaborative manner. Dedicating our yard in Lancaster in honor of Craig is a fitting tribute."

The expansion of Lewis Yard began in early 2009 following several years of studies and design and will be completed next month. The yard expansion is part of the Lancaster Northwest Gateway Project, a $75 million plan to remediate and redevelop approximately 75 acres of urban brownfields to enhance economic development opportunities in the city of Lancaster by connecting the city street grid system, creating urban green spaces and providing campus development sites for Franklin & Marshall College and Lancaster General Health on land formerly owned by Armstrong World Industries and NS.

The final segment of the Gateway Project will begin in the spring of 2014 when the railroad transfers ownership of approximately 28 acres of its yard east of Dillerville Road to Franklin & Marshall and Lancaster General. This work is expected to take 12 months to complete.